New York Mets

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Mets general manager Sandy Alderson said Tuesday that the club is inclined to keep Matt Harvey.

Harvey's name has circulated in rumors over the past 24 hours, with the Rangers and Orioles being mentioned most prominently, but Alderson said the club isn't ready to give up on him. "All I’m weighing right now are the opinions of Mickey Callaway and Dave Eiland," said Alderson. "And they don’t want to lose him." The Mets couldn't possibly sell any lower on Harvey and the health of the other members of the rotation remains a concern, so there's a strong argument to keep him around even if there's only a small chance he can show some of his old form.

Mets manager Mickey Callaway indicated Tuesday that he might not have a dedicated closer in 2018.

Instead, Callaway would prefer to make his decisions based on the situation. It's a refreshing way to think about things, though obviously any plan is subject to change. Jeurys Familia and A.J. Ramos are at the top of the depth chart, but the Mets could still add another name to the mix soon.

Andy Martino of SNY TV reports that the Cubs "have shown some interest" in Matt Harvey.

Martino notes that it's "unclear how serious" the Cubs' interest is at this point. The Orioles and Rangers have also displayed interest in Harvey, but Newsday's Marc Carig and others have expressed doubt that the Mets will wind up trading the right-hander for fear of depleting their rotation depth. Harvey could potentially be the Cubs' backup plan for Alex Cobb, who looks to be their top pitching target at the moment.

Newsday's Marc Carig was told by a person with knowledge of the Mets' thinking that it's "doubtful" the team trades Matt Harvey.

There's been some early buzz at the Winter Meetings about the Mets discussing Harvey in trades, with the Orioles and Rangers being two teams to have inquired. However, Carig writes that the club is hesitant to move Harvey because they're "concerned about pitching depth after injuries wrecked the starting rotation last season." Harvey posted a 6.70 ERA in 18 starts and one relief appearance in 2017 after returning from thoracic outlet surgery and will be a free agent after the 2018 season.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that the Orioles are discussing trading a reliever to the Mets for Matt Harvey.

Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports first mentioned earlier Monday that the O's were seen as one club that could make a play for Harvey. Rosenthal mentions that Harvey and Brad Brach are projected for similar salaries in their final arbitration years and that Darren O'Day is owed $18 million over the next two seasons. There's been a decent amount of smoke the last few days about the Mets listening to offers for Harvey.

Mike Puma of the New York Post reports that the Mets "would probably need to get more" than Jurickson Profar from the Rangers in a trade for Matt Harvey.

Meanwhile, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News hears that the Rangers won't deal Profar for a player with one year of control. Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reported earlier Monday that the two teams had discussed a Harvey-for-Profar swap, but it doesn't appear this one has any legs. Harvey posted a 6.70 ERA in 18 starts and one relief appearance in 2017 after returning from thoracic outlet surgery and will be a free agent after the 2018 season.

Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports hears that the Mets and Rangers have discussed a Matt Harvey-for-Jurickson Profar swap.

Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News speculated on a potential match early Monday morning while Mike Puma of the New York Post reported Monday afternoon that the two sides were talking. It would be the ultimate change-of-scenery deal, as Harvey has seen his career go off course over the past two years due to injury and there's no clear spot for Profar on the Rangers' roster. Heyman notes that there's "nothing firm" between the two sides, but they at least discussed the scenario. Harvey is due to become a free agent after 2018 while Profar still has three years of team control remaining.

According to Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports, the Orioles are seen as one team that could consider a trade for Mets right-hander Matt Harvey.

We know that the Mets have already discussed a potential trade for Harvey with at least two clubs. The Orioles hope to add multiple starters this offseason and could aim to buy-low on Harvey. The 28-year-old is coming off a brutal 6.70 ERA in 92 2/3 innings this past season and has one more year of team control remaining.

Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News reports that the Mets have discussed Matt Harvey with at least two teams this offseason.

According to Ackert, the Mets were attempting to flip him for a reliever and were much more inclined to move Harvey than Robert Gsellman or Seth Lugo. Harvey is entering his third and final year of arbitration and is coming off of a troublesome season where he posted a cringe-inducing 6.70 ERA in 92 2/3 innings.

Mets' general manager Sandy Alderson said Sunday that the club is "very high" on first baseman Dominic Smith.

He also indicated that they were not in the market for an upgrade at first base this off-season, which somewhat contradicts his statements from a month ago that Smith wasn't a lock to go into spring training with a starting job. The 22-year-old slashed .198/.262/.395 with nine homers and 26 RBI in 49 games as a rookie in 2017.

Mets' general manager Sandy Alderson said Sunday that Michael Conforto (shoulder) may not be ready for Opening Day.

Alderson told reporters Sunday, "He may be ready to go by Opening Day but I don't believe he will be". Conforto underwent surgery in early September to repair a tear of the posterior capsule in his left shoulder. Even if he isn't quite ready by Opening Day, he shouldn't be sidelined for much longer.

The Mets are telling rival clubs they're open to trading starting pitching, a source tells Marc Carig of Newsday.

Top-of-the-rotation guys Noah Syndergaard and Jacob deGrom are off limits, but the implication is that starters Matt Harvey, Steven Matz and Zach Wheeler, among others, would be fair game. How much interest those guys might draw is another matter -- all three have had high highs, but more recently have fallen on hard times due to injury and ineffectiveness -- but there would presumably be a few teams willing to take a chance on talent, if the price is right. With the Mets on the prowl for a second baseman, perhaps some of these names start getting tossed around at next week's Winter Meetings.

The Mets tendered a contract to arbitration-eligible starting pitcher Matt Harvey on Friday.

There was some conjecture that Harvey might be non-tendered due to poor performance, questionable health and rising salary. He is projected to earn $5.9 million in his third shot at arbitration. Harvey struggled to recover from thoracic outlet syndrome and finished the season with a 6.70 ERA in 18 starts and one relief appearance in 2017. Only Chris Tillman, Ubaldo Jimenez and Travis Wood finished with higher ERAs than Harvey this year (minimum 90 innings).

Mets signed OF Zach Borenstein to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training.

Borenstein is 27 years old and has never appeared in a major league game, but he registered a strong .924 OPS with 24 home runs and 91 RBI in 433 plate appearances this past season for the Triple-A affiliate of the Diamondbacks. He'll serve as organizational outfield depth for the Mets leading into 2018.